Category: Five Friday Happy Bringers

A weekly round-up of various things that provided me with joy and happiness.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 4/14/23

Posted on by Neal Saye

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. My Hambone Soup last night, made from the leftover Easter ham.

And for some reason, out of the blue, when I was making the cornbread, I remembered that my mother used to put a heaping teaspoon of mayonnaise into the batter. Makes it creamier.

I also now add chopped jalapeños.

2. Grandson Daniel opening tonight in a three-week run of Les Mis here in Savannah. He plays the role of Marius.

3. The wonderful ability to Remember.

4. Incredibly aromatic jasmine blossoming all over Savannah.

5. Fun lunch today with Robert’s daughter Stennesha.

May you have a yummy weekend ahead.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 4/7/23

Posted on by Neal Saye

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. Robert’s preposterously delicious beef pot pie from the other night.

2. Our buddy and theology student August and his beautiful black shawl.

3. The belief that our nation is strong enough to withstand the right (and left) extremists.

4. Attending the surprise 70th birthday party at Midtown Sports for buddy “Fluff.”

In this photo, Fluff looks a bit underwhelmed.

5. Balanced rest.

Benny

May your weekend ahead be exactly what you want it to be.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 3/31/23

Posted on by Neal Saye

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. Finishing with Robert perhaps one of the top three novels we’ve read together in the last ten years …

Oh my goodness, it’s hilarious, heartwarming, heartbreaking, a mystery, a treatise on our economy and banking system, a love story/love stories, an examination of the inevitably difficult dynamics of family. And a book FULL of surprises. I did not want it to end. I miss the characters. I highly recommend it!

What a joy to read a good book.

2. The 2023 Savannah Music Festival.

What a treat! Last night Robert and I went to a bluegrass event with incredible banjoes, fiddles and guitars.

(Just so you know, I played trombone in high school. Okay, I was 3rd chair. And I really never managed to march on the football field and play my instrument at the same time. But still.)

3. Air. Oxygen. Breath.

4. HR finally learning how to photograph me now that I’m 71.

5. This morning walking past my favorite old Savannah mansion which faces Forsyth Park.

May your weekend’s peace and joy be of mansion proportions.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 3/24/23

Posted on by Neal Saye

1. Good quality blue cheese.

There is simply nothing else like it!

2. Finding beauty—even in a pollen-encrusted pond.

Actually, I think I see a face in there. Do you? I hope he has some Flonase.

3. The amazing and usually taken-for-granted ability to go to a grocery store and buy food. What a privilege and joy!

4. Grandson Daniel running into one of his Savannah buddies in Manhattan last week when he was taking a prospective NYU student tour.

5. Speaking of buddies, here are our Travel Buddies.

See them?

Wait, I haven’t told you about them?! Three little stuffed animals that Robert and I have given to each other over the years. And they go with us on every one of our adventures.

Alvin the Chipmunk, because, according to Robert, I look like him.

May your weekend ahead be filled with adventure.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 3/10/23

Posted on by Neal Saye

1. Young singer/actor Grandson Daniel owning the mic recently.

In a local vocal competition. He didn’t win, but oh my goodness, how he wowed the crowd. He was the youngest competitor, so perhaps it just wasn’t his time.

2. The wisteria outside my therapist Rubi’s office.

Okay, that structure IS NOT my therapist’s office. His office is in a beautiful old house behind this display of wisteria beauty.

3. Breath. Breath. Breath.

4. PINK in (nearly) spring Savannah.

I know, I know. I keep posting pictures of our azaleas. But Savannah’s display has been more than glorious this year.

5. My Orange Hubby.

May your weekend be filled with pink and orange and every color you adore.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 3/3/23

Posted on by Neal Saye

1. A beautiful spring (almost) morning walk yesterday around Savannah’s Forsyth Park. Here’s Robert trying to steal the show. But I think the azaleas won.

The azaleas are actually breathtaking for this early in March.

2. The beauty of pine cones.

3. Reaching one thousand (!) meditation sessions this week.

4. Attending the coolest outdoor workshop yesterday evening over on Skidaway Island at the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

For two hours approaching sunset, we hiked among the old growth live oaks and the marsh, ending up at the boardwalk on Wilmington River.

The workshop was for photographers (which HR is, as many of you know). I went along for the ride, walking around and pointing my iPhone camera here and there in what I hoped conveyed a confident “Just look at the depth of field I can evoke from that angle, not to mention the aspect ratio and exposure compensation” sensibility.

Like here …

Don’t I look like I’m doing all those words I said above?

Now that’s a tree trunk.

HR and some Spanish Moss

And here he is worrying me by getting too close to the muddy marsh and the lurking alligators that are abundant in the area.

A few of the other photographers.

A fabulous evening!

5. Early Savannah wisteria …

May you have a photograph-worthy weekend ahead!

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 2/24/23

Posted on by Neal Saye

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. White roses.

Is anything more beautiful?

2. The excitement when grandson Gabriel’s junior high basketball team wins their region championship this week.

The one longsleeve is supposedly cool now.

3. The incredible beauty of very late winter in Savannah. (It’s still about a month until the official beginning of spring.)

4. The sensation of Touch. What a joy. I thought of this today when I pulled out a thick beach towel from our dryer. Oh my goodness.

5. This incredibly delicious chocolate croissant from a brand new and very cool bakery near us, Sweet Patricia’s. http://www.sweetpatricias.com

May your weekend ahead be delicious.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 2/17/23

Posted on by Neal Saye

1. Understanding why someone might decide to become a thief …

2. HR and me — renewing our vows at our church’s annual ceremony.

3. Believing that most people are at their core, good.

4. Back to the first Happy Bringer, the ability to savor chocolate.

(I didn’t steal it.)

5. The expression on grandson Matthew’s face as he was given his certificate announcing that he is now a part of the gifted program at his school.

(And Robert congratulating him.)

May this weekend bring you gifts of peace, health and joy.

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 2/10/23

Posted on by Neal Saye

1. The squirrel on our dining room table. HR’s nickname is Squirrel (long story), so I love it when I find little squirrel figurines.

2. The mincemeat pie I made with leftover mincemeat (from Christmas). It was delicious!

The only issue I had with it was the potential murder weapon Robert used to serve it.

3. The ability to taste, TASTE! Sweet, sour, bitter, salty, etc. What an incredible blessing!

4. The camellias blooming all over Savannah this February.

And for some reason I find the blossoms that fall on the ground so pretty.

5. The joy of leftovers.

At least, once a week, Robert and I have a meal with only leftovers.

Yesterday

Make your weekend be so good (in whatever way you define good) that you will have leftovers on Monday.